Okada, Keke Unions Turn Operators To Slaves

CYRIACUS IZUEKWE

The motorcycles operators also known as Okada riders and the tricycle operators popularly known as Keke NAPEP or Keke Marwa seemed to have been turned to money slaves over the  high rate of tickets they had to purchase daily by the unions leaders in Lagos.

P.M.EXPRESS investigations revealed that each operator must pay at least N1,100 for tickets on daily basis and that was aside every other levies the union leaders deemed fit to collect from them. It was gathered from the victims that all the monies realised from them were shared amongst the few individuals who acted as union leaders without even remitting any amount to the government.

Despite the facts that the Lagos State Government had restricted the riders to limited roads, the unions did not reduce the amounts to be paid for the daily tickets, thereby subjecting the riders to slave-master relationship.

It was also gathered that the payments cut across the local governments in the state which included, Agege, Oshodi, Abule Egba, Ikotun, Mushim, Ajegunle and Apapa. Other areas include Ikotun, Igando, Ejigbo, Yaba, Shomolu, Ketu, Ojota among others.

The riders were always made to pay for the tickets before they can commence work every morning and failure to do so will attract a penalty which may be paying double of the amount or such offenders will have their bikes seized by the task force the union leaders had created to intimidate them.

Some of the operators lamented that they had become slaves to few people who forced them to pay the money before they will operate on government roads.
One of the riders, Mr. James Abbey said he was a trader before his business collapsed and had nobody to borrow money from to start up his business. He said he then decided to ride Okada for few months in order to raise money to go back to his business. He said that has become a day dream because of the high cost of purchasing the daily tickets.

Mr. Abbey said that he did not know that the riders pay such amounts until he started riding, was apprehended and asked to pay the money for the ticket.
He said that when they calculated the tickets he had to get, it was N1,100 and he was shocked but had to pay to enable him to work. He said that for the past six years that he had been trapped because he cannot raise money to start his business as he could not make any savings. He said he worked from 6am in the morning till about 7pm and will realise only about N2500. He explained that by the time he removed the money for the tickets, buy petrol and pay for the hire purchase, he will have like N300 left for him to go home and feed his family of five.

Another rider, Mr. Godwin Eme lamented that he was also trapped in Okada riding like Mr. Abbey. He said that his aim initially was to raise money to go back to his former business but had not been able to do so because of high cost of daily tickets. He explained that he does not meet up with his daily expenses talk less of saving money, because after paying for tickets; he uses the remaining balance to buy petrol and feed his family. He lamented that the union leaders had no stake and what they did every day was to collect such huge amounts of money, live big with their families and friends to their detriments.

Mr. Gilbert Nnadi said that for the past five years that he had been riding Keke (tricycle), he had been unable to save any money as he was also trapped in the business. He said that he spent averagely between N1,200 and N1,500 for daily tickets and settlements alone, before he worked for the feeding of his family at the same time bought petrol and maintained his Keke. He regretted that Government who initially brought the scheme as a poverty alleviation attempt was aware of their enslavement but had decided to leave them to their fate.

Some of the union leaders who spoke to P.M.EXPRESS correspondent confirmed that such daily payments existed but said that they were there as their leaders to protect them. They said that they do spend the money collected from the riders for tickets to ensure they do not encounter problem by settling both the government officials and security agents. The union leaders said that the riders also do witness when the aforementioned usually came to collect settlements.

However, the claim was not confirmed by those mentioned but the fact remained that the money were duly collected on daily basis and the riders had to comply, otherwise they will be sent out of the business by the cartels in their respective areas.